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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25349344">Late Night</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareWolf/pseuds/NightmareWolf'>NightmareWolf</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Death Note (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Cuddling &amp; Snuggling, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, Drunken Kissing, Fluff and Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Near is REALLY drunk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 07:07:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,447</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25349344</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NightmareWolf/pseuds/NightmareWolf</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Near gets drunk. Apparently, this is now Mello's problem.</p><p>(Post-Kira AU. Matt &amp; Mello live.)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Mello | Mihael Keehl/Near | Nate River</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>60</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Late Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Warning for minor dubcon....Near is drunk and makes advances on Mello. They do not have sex tho so don't worry.<br/>ALSO I'm terrible at writing drunk characters orz :( so hope it's okay<br/>i think it SUX but like whatever man LOL</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Mello doesn't have a set of expectations when it comes to Near and Matt—that is, when it comes to them hanging out <em>together</em>.</p><p>It seemed to always be random; they argue true randomness doesn't exist, that there is some probability and common ground involved with everything, but when it came to Near and Matt, it honestly seemed impossible for that to be the case. On their own, Matt was a bright although goofy and naive person and Near was a calm, collected individual. They never were super close—not in the way Matt and Mello were—but they still managed to be friends and maintain their own special bond, no matter how much it seemed to waver between "simple acquaintance" and "best friend".</p><p>Mello has seen them play video games, get philosophical, build robots (real ones and toys), argue about Transformers, and just about everything in-between. Of course, Mello never particularly <em>liked </em>this. Matt was <em>his </em>friend, albeit a friend who occasionally tried his patience, but his best friend nonetheless. He didn't like the idea of <em>Near </em>spending time with him, as if to steal what little Mello had, but he never interjected. He knew it'd only be counter-productive to try and control his friend's social life, so he didn't bother (although, his feelings weren't lost on Matt, who constantly reassured him that he's able to like both him <em>and </em>Near at the same time). </p><p>Anyhow, the main point (the "TL;DR" as Matt would say, aloud in person, which pisses Mello off to no end), is that he never knows what to expect from Near and Matt when they hang out together.</p><p>All the same, a drunk Near was one of the last of his guesses.</p><p>Mello hadn't been expecting anybody to show up at his door that night. After Kira's reign had ended, Mello had been, for the most part, completely all over the place in what he wanted to do and where to live. Eventually, he settled down in an apartment (at least for the time being), the same apartment building where Matt lived, making them neighbors only a few rooms apart. Near, however, lived at the old SPK headquarters which were around an hour or so away from where Mello lived, making the knock at his door during that hour quite strange. After all, Matt had told him beforehand that he planned to sleep once he got home, postponing one of their projects to tomorrow (much to Mello's mild annoyance).</p><p>He had decided to just ignore it, but the knocking didn't stop—in fact, it became more frequent and loud. With a huff of annoyance and a loud slam from closing his laptop, Mello got out of his chair and walked to the door.</p><p>"Who's there?" An old habit, but not a bad one to have—Mello always checked the peephole and called out before answering the door.</p><p>"'s me," a familiar, soft voice spoke loudly. "Can I please come 'n?"</p><p><em>Near</em><em>? </em>"Uh...Yeah, hold on." </p><p>
  <em>Click.</em>
</p><p>Mello slid the ball lock off the door and turned the handle, allowing the door to squeak open. </p><p>"Mello!" The answer was almost instant the moment Near's eyes met Mello's; he threw himself on the taller male and wrapped his arms around him in a hug, giggling. "Hi, Mello."</p><p>The gesture wasn't well-received. Mello stiffened, confusion overriding his mind. Firstly, since when was Near this <em>touchy </em>and <em>giddy</em>? Actually, since when did he <em>giggle </em>like that? The presence of hearing such childish delight from him was almost unnerving—it just seemed wrong to Mello; it was uncomfortable.</p><p>But he supposed that wasn't the first—or main—question he wanted to ask.</p><p>"Why are you here?" He wasn't much in the mood to see Near, not after the other had been out with Matt for the day. Although, he had to say, he was quite curious as to why Near was <em>here </em>of all places, instead of back at the SPK HQ like he normally would be.</p><p>"'Cuz I wanted to see you," he answered, grin wide, in a cadence much less smooth and more drawn out than normal. </p><p>
  <em>Ah.</em>
</p><p>Near's voice—the way it hung onto consonants just a heartbeat too long, the way he grinned lazily—was a dead give-away. Now having time to get over his initial confusion and listen to Near's voice, it was abundantly clear why he was acting this way; Mello was no fool—not like Near was trying to hide the fact in the first place—plus the lingering scent of alcohol on Near and his general movements were such red flags, he hadn't the need to even ask where him and Matt had been. "Are you <em>drunk</em><em>?</em>"</p><p>"'M not <em>that </em>drunk..." he giggled.</p><p>
  <em>So, you're drunk.</em>
</p><p>"Why were you out <em>drinking</em>?" Mello asked. "Did Matt somehow convince you?"</p><p>"Well, sorta. Kinda. Maybe?" Near giggled again, his off-kilter balance giving him a better excuse to keep latched onto Mello, borderline snuggling against him. "Mm...I think he jus' took me somewhere n' I tried the drinks n' they were pree' good."</p><p>"How much <em>did </em>you drink?"</p><p>Near paused for a moment in a thoughtful silence. "Dunno!" he laughed.</p><p>
  <em>I'm not going to envy you in the morning.</em>
</p><p>Near didn't say much more before stumbling over to the nearest couch and letting himself flop onto it belly first, erupting into giggles after the initial impact like it was somehow the funniest thing in the world.</p><p>He wrapped his arms around himself, turning onto his back and tilting his head up, white hair splayed across the cushion, his eyes meeting Mello's. "Mero, come 'ere, I wanna tell you something." He giggled again.</p><p>Ignoring the fact Near had pronounced his name wrong—rather, in a Japanese accent—he walked over to the smaller boy, sighing in annoyance. Couldn't Matt have at <em>least </em>made sure Near had gotten home instead of crashing on his couch, talking about some drunken nonsense? He shouldn't have to be dealing with this right now.</p><p><em>Although</em>, Mello reasoned with himself, <em>I may get the chance to see a side of Near I normally don't. I may even learn a thing or two he doesn't want me to know.</em></p><p>The thought made him more accepting of the situation.</p><p>He walked over to the couch, the stiff floorboards creaking under his weight, and stared down at Near. "Take your shoes off; I don't want you to get the furniture dirty."</p><p>"Aahh, right, yeah, I gedd'it." A soft hiccup jolted Near's body as he began giggling again. His small body curled forwards, pale hands reaching to clutch at his white shoes, but his coordination was ultimately too terrible to get a solid grip. He fell back down with a soft thump against the cushion, giggling at the impact. "Sorry!"</p><p>He knows he said he was surprised to hear Near giggle earlier, but now he was getting <em>sick </em>of hearing it.</p><p>"You're helpless." Vexed, Mello took hold of Near's ankles and removed the shoes himself, haphazardly tossing them aside despite his proclamation of wanting to keep things somewhat tidy. Really, he was just too annoyed to care.</p><p>"Thaaaanks," Near drew out, smiling with a toothy grin. "Sit next'a me."</p><p>"I can't," Mello flatly responded. "You're lying down."</p><p>"That's right!" he answer, as if it had been some sort of arbitrary test. Twisting around, Near flipped himself onto his belly before using his hands to raise himself up. He swayed momentarily—Mello was afraid he might fall off the couch—and sat upright, head resting against the back of the couch. He patted the spot next to him (well, <em>pat</em> is a generous way to put it. More like an ungraceful smack), looking up at Mello expectantly.</p><p>The blonde sighed.</p><p>He sat down on the velvet red couch, shifting his gaze to glance at Near. "Well?"</p><p>Near smiled at him, his gaze almost uncomfortably fixed unlike the usual glossy look in a drunk person's eyes. "Your hair's nice."</p><p>Dodging accepting the compliment, Mello responded, "Is that it?"</p><p>"Nono," Near shook his head, white hair whipping messily in his face. "You're als...also, uh..." he frowned. "How's it called 'n English...."</p><p>Mello snorted. "How'd you forget your first language?"</p><p>"I was on'na phone with Mr. Aizawa today," Near explained. "Eh, kirei—kirei...what's it?"</p><p>"Kirei?"</p><p>"Yeah, uhhh, kirei—Mero ga kirei."</p><p>Mello scoffed both dismissively and with amusement, but he couldn't hide the soft blush on his face from Near's suddenly warm nature. "Dōmo."</p><p>Near grinned, giggling. "Wait, wait, waaait," he drags his words out in a half-suppressed giggle as he climbed onto Mello's lamp. The other, as expected, was taken aback. Near was light on his body—his weight wasn't crushing him; honestly, he was a little concerned with how little the other male weighed—and he situated himself so his legs were folded; kneeling with both legs.</p><p>"You're warm..." his arms lazily wrapped around Mello's neck, words slurring out drowsily.</p><p>"Yeah, okay," Mello dismissively replied. "If you want something warm, I'll give you a blanket. Just get off of me."</p><p>Unlike the rest of his speech, Near's reply, a steady "no," came out much more sober-sounding than what he had been saying before. It almost took Mello off-guard. "I have s'mething 'mportant to say."</p><p>"You've said, like, three separate things by now," Mello scoffed. "What is it <em>now</em>?"</p><p>Mello's words spurred on a tentative silence. Near looked up at him; he wasn't quite eye-to-eye level with Mello. Despite kneeling on the other's lap, he remained just slightly shorter than him. So, to fix this, Near raised himself up a few centimetres with a soft huff, his body wobbling to the side. Annoyed, Mello had to situate his hands on Near's sides to keep him from falling (and although he <em>would </em>find Near falling off the couch to be hilarious, he wasn't in the mood to deal with the aftermath of such a prospect).</p><p>Finally level, the two met each other's eyes. Unlike earlier, Near's gaze no longer held the strange clarity that it did. Much like what Mello would expect from a drunken person, Near's eyes were fuzzy and glazed, yet still indicated cognitive ability. Funny, really, because what of intellectual value could Near be thinking of in this state? <em>Although I am curious what was so important for him to tell me—something he couldn't say while sober...</em></p><p>"Mm, 's kinda hard to say; 'm just gonna..." and with the way Near trails his words off, Mello is afraid he's either going to pass out or vomit. Instead, what happens is arguably <em>worse.</em></p><p>Near's pale, uncoordinated hands grasp Mello's shoulders awkwardly as he leans forward and, though he does not have the fine-motor skills to aim properly, his lips meet with Mello's own. It takes a second a second for it to register in Mello's mind but it soon does—Near is kissing him.</p><p>The boy's chest is pressed up against his own, and he can feel his heart beating away at a faster pace than Mello would have ever expected from Near—anticipation? Happiness? These were common human emotions, but they seemed to be seldom for Near. Such the case made it odd, perhaps even <em>wrong</em>, for Near to be displaying these sort of feelings, even if it weren't verbal.</p><p>And maybe the worst part of it is that Mello isn't particularly opposed to what was happening. He had kissed many people before, but Near's kiss was different. His lips were so soft; his mouth was so small and warm and gentle. He wasn't particularity <em>good </em>at kissing, though. Not only was he drunk, but it appeared he didn't have any experience with the action—<em>Am I the first person he's ever kissed?</em>—but it was sort of cute that way. Near was kind of cute.</p><p>He pulled Near away as soon as the thought crossed into his mind.</p><p>The other only gave a small mewl of protest at the breaking of contact, but he was in no condition to verbally or physically protest.</p><p>"Why are you kissing me?" Mello asked; he has to run the words through his head several times after he says them because, aloud, it just sounds so <em>surreal</em>.</p><p>"Cuz I really like you," Near admitted, although his demeanor does not change to something more embarrassed or guilty. "I really, really like you."</p><p>Mello didn't respond. In fact, he didn't even <em>blink</em>. He barely registered the words and Near, apparently, took Mello's silence as admission to keep talking. "I've liked you so long, it kinda...mm, it drove me nuts." his head dips a bit as he talks, like he's too tired to properly keep it up. "I knew I had'da...tell you. But 'm scared...not now, though...I love you, I think."</p><p><em>You think? </em>Although the question passed through Mello's head, he was much too shocked to articulate it aloud. He supposed, for somebody like Near, it wasn't odd for him to end such a strong and emotional proclamation off with uncertainty.</p><p>
  <em>But why me?</em>
</p><p>Mello could hear Near breathing a little bit heavier—or was he already breathing like that, and he just failed to notice? Regardless, Near had connected his lips with Mello's again, his hands pressed against his chest. The only barrier between Near's hands and Mello's bare skin was a thin tee-shirt that he wore—although, he wasn't about to take this much further, not while Near was drunk.</p><p>
  <em>I say that like I wouldn't mind so long as Near was sober.</em>
</p><p>And <em>would </em>he mind? Of course, his pride and dignity wanted to say <em>yes</em>, he would mind very much; he didn't want to have any relation with Near past a begrudging friendship, let alone romantic or sexual. But, another part of him said he wouldn't. Something about Near tonight was different—yes, <em>obviously </em>he was drunk and <em>obviously </em>that changed how he would act, but on a more emotional scale, he was showing Mello something he had never seen before from Near: Desire. Emotional vulnerability. Things he had never considered Near would possess but, logically, he did.</p><p>He liked being reminded that Near wasn't perfect at every turn. If anything, he was a terrible kisser, although that may be a trifling thing to point out when Mello was <em>enjoying</em> it. He was returning the kiss, for Christ's sake.</p><p><em>I really shouldn't be doing this, though, </em>Mello thought, an odd sense of guilt poking at him. <em>I don't think I even love him, not in the way he loves me. It'd be a little cruel for me to lead him on—then again, will he even remember any of this</em><em>? </em>They pull away from the kiss to both catch their breath. Though, it was mostly Near who needed time to breathe; he was panting lightly, and a quiet moan caught in his throat. It honestly made Mello feel <em>fuzzy </em>inside, as much as he contempt that. </p><p>"Mello," Near breathed out lowly, slurred, his pale hand gently drifting down to the bottom hem of Mello's shirt where it found itself, although clumsily, sneaking back upwards under the fabric. Mello gulped as he felt Near's delicate fingers softly trace up his torso, feelings of uncertainty filling him. Though less than graceful in his coordination, Mello couldn't deny how soft and warm the feeling was; Near's hands were much more...tender, for lack of a better word, than Mello had imagined. Near mumbled something—something not quite intelligible through his drunken, slurred speech—but he was smiling; blushing. For a fleeting moment, Mello wondered to ask—requesting he speak up and repeat—but he soon found that the need for such an inquiry was unnecessary; Near removed his hand from under Mello's shirt, running it down to the other's sweatpants with the slightest of mischievous smirks.</p><p>Mello, obviously, was much better at reading situational and social signs than Near was—which is how he knew <em>immediately </em>what Near was up to, but his delayed response to the situation was simply a matter of shock. After all, he knew, even <em>expected, </em>Near to act different while intoxicated—but this wasn't something he thought to expect. Hell, he hadn't been expecting a <em>kiss</em>, let alone a sexual advance. And from Near of all people? He seemed like the least sexual being in the world to Mello, even if that was a <em>little </em>mean to say...</p><p>But that was getting a little off topic—Mello was snapped from his momentary state of shock when he felt Near's weak (or more likely, drunken) attempt at loosening his pants. Mello quickly grabbed Near's hands with his own. How funny, he thought, that his hands were so much bigger than Near's—so much rougher and tanner, too—while Near's were so <em>pale </em>and <em>soft </em>and <em>small</em> and...</p><p>Where was this going again?</p><p>"Near," Mello firmly addressed. "Stop that."</p><p>"Huuuh?" Near murmured, looking up at Mello with a confused look. "Wha'ya mean?"</p><p>"I <em>mean </em>you're too drunk for this," Mello states more forcefully, pulling Near's hands away and forcing them back to the other's face. "So cut it out."</p><p>"I told ya," Near rebuttals. "'M not that drunk."</p><p>"You are <em>really </em>drunk."</p><p>"Nuh-uh." Near giggled, attempting to free his hands to little success. "C'mon, it'll be fun."</p><p>"No. Not when you're like this." The words made Mello frown as soon as they left his lips. <em>Again, I'm saying that like I wouldn't mind getting sexual with Near in a normal situation...</em></p><p>"Buuuut—"</p><p>"Shut up."</p><p>Near let out a pouty sigh, a disappointed look of defeat washing over him, coaxing Mello into letting his hands go. "You're no fun."</p><p>"Yeah, that's me." Mello took in a deep breath as Near pressed up close against him, resting his head in the crook of his neck. His nose brushed against Mello's skin—the undamaged side—and he mumbled some nonsense Mello couldn't understand nor cared to understand. Mello actually debated suggesting the idea of sleeping to Near, but felt like that <em>might </em>just prompt the other to start getting <em>weird </em>again; something Mello wasn't unused to in general practice, but coming from <em>Near </em>it demanded some time for him to settle down and process the events of what happened.</p><p>And in any case, verbally spoken or not, Near was bound to pass out soon here. So, all in all, it was more advantageous for him to just wait for the other to fall asleep where he was.</p><p>Considering that, Mello was snapped back to reality as he realized that <em>"where he was"</em> was, well, on his lap. Somehow, he had quickly forgotten that (probably because of how light-weighted Near was), but he sure as hell wouldn't tomorrow when he spoke to Matt.</p><p>Because now he has to deal with a love confession from his rival—ex-rival? Whatever; they weren't on good terms. </p><p>It was confusing. Why would Near fall for him of all people? It didn't make much sense to him given his <em>blatant </em>distaste for the other boy, but perhaps Near was a masochist. Or just weird. Maybe both? And on the other hand—he, himself, did not know what to think of all this. He wasn't too sure if he was <em>okay </em>with it or not, considering the conflicting feelings he had gotten earlier while kissing Near. It's true what he said—he had kissed other people before, men and woman, but it never really meant anything to him. Honestly, Mello didn't see the appeal in it very much. But Near's was different. Maybe it was just the natural rush of defying some sort of taboo, albeit said taboo was entirely self-created and his own fault, but he sincerely doubted that was even half of the reason. If it were, he'd be focusing on that rather than the warm, soft feeling of Near's lips and the gentle way he kissed.</p><p>He was mad he even let it <em>happen</em>, that he didn't stop Near the first moment he got, and instead kept <em>going</em>. What's worse is he knows he'd do it all again.</p><p>"Near," Mello murmured quietly, rubbing a hand on the other's back to get his attention. But Near didn't respond; his breath was quiet and steady. He was probably asleep, thank God. Logic dictates that he should probably gently settle him down on the couch and go sleep in his own room, but he sits there with his arms around the other in a loose hug. A cuddle, almost. He tells himself that it's <em>just </em>to make sure he's <em>actually </em>asleep but...that's just an easy excuse.</p><p>He wonders if Near will remember any of this in the morning.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>yes i switch tenses a lot what of it.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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